JP2026000701A - Valve and substrate processing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

A technology is provided that can reduce the amount of sliding of a seal portion while allowing a large flow rate of fluid to flow.
[Solution] A valve (70) includes a housing (71) having a fluid flow path (70a) therein, and a valve element (76) rotatably mounted relative to the housing and capable of opening and closing the flow path. The housing has a housing seal surface (742) that surrounds the flow path. The valve element has a valve element seal surface (765) on its outer periphery that faces the housing seal surface when in a closed position that closes the flow path. The valve element seal surface faces the closing rotation direction of the valve element that closes the flow path, over the entire circumference of the outer periphery.
[Selected Figure] Figure 3

Description

This disclosure relates to a valve and a substrate processing apparatus.

Patent Document 1 discloses a ball valve (fluid control valve) that controls the flow rate of a fluid. This valve has a primary flow path, a seal assembly, and a ball element (valve body) within a housing. The ball element is rotatable within the housing, and as it rotates, it comes into contact with the primary seal of the seal assembly, closing the valve.

In this type of valve, the ball element is significantly retracted from the primary flow path when in the open state, allowing a large flow rate of fluid to pass through the primary flow path. However, when the ball element rotates, the amount of sliding of the ball element against the seal assembly increases, making the valve prone to friction and other problems associated with the sliding.

Special Publication No. 2005-521006

This disclosure provides technology that reduces the amount of sliding of the valve disc while allowing a large flow rate of fluid to flow.

One aspect of the present disclosure provides a valve including a housing having a fluid flow path therein, and a valve element rotatably mounted relative to the housing and capable of opening and closing the flow path, wherein the housing has a housing seal surface surrounding the flow path, the valve element has a valve element seal surface on its outer periphery that faces the housing seal surface when in a closed position that closes the flow path, and the valve element seal surface faces the closing rotation direction of the valve element that closes the flow path around the entire circumference of the outer periphery.

According to one aspect, it is possible to reduce the amount of sliding of the valve disc while allowing a large flow rate of fluid to flow.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a substrate processing apparatus to which a valve according to an embodiment is applied. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a valve according to the embodiment. 3A and 3B are cross-sectional views of the valve taken along the XZ and XY axes, respectively. 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating the operation of the valve body relative to the sealing pipe body when the valve body is closed. Fig. 5A is a plan view of the valve disc as seen from the positive direction of the Z axis, and Fig. 5B is a front view of the valve disc as seen from the negative direction of the X axis. Fig. 6(A) is a plan cross-sectional view showing the valve in an open state, Fig. 6(B) is a plan cross-sectional view showing the valve when adjusting the opening degree, and Fig. 6(C) is a plan cross-sectional view showing the valve before it becomes closed. Fig. 7(A) is a plan cross-sectional view showing an enlarged view of the seal on the valve body seal surface at the rear end in the closing rotation direction, Fig. 7(B) is a plan cross-sectional view showing an enlarged view of the seal on the valve body seal surface at the front end in the closing rotation direction, and Fig. 7(C) is a plan cross-sectional view showing an enlarged view of the seal on the valve body seal surface at the front end in the closing rotation direction according to another embodiment. 8A is a diagram schematically illustrating a valve according to a first modified example, and FIG. 8B is a diagram schematically illustrating a valve according to a second modified example. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a sealing pipe according to a third modified example.

The following describes embodiments of the present disclosure with reference to the drawings. In each drawing, identical components are designated by the same reference numerals, and duplicate descriptions may be omitted.

To facilitate understanding of the valve according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, an example of a substrate processing apparatus to which the valve is applied will first be described with reference to Figure 1.

The substrate processing apparatus 1 is a vertical heat treatment apparatus that holds multiple substrates W arranged vertically and deposits a desired film on the surface of each substrate W using atomic layer deposition (ALD), chemical vapor deposition (CVD), thermal oxidation, or other methods. The substrates W on which the film is deposited are not particularly limited, and examples include semiconductor substrates such as silicon wafers or compound semiconductor wafers, or glass substrates.

The substrate processing apparatus 1 includes a processing vessel 10 that accommodates each substrate W and performs film formation, a gas supply unit 30 that supplies gas into the processing vessel 10, a gas exhaust unit 40 that exhausts gas from the processing vessel 10, and a temperature-controlled furnace 50 that is arranged around the processing vessel 10. The substrate processing apparatus 1 also includes a control unit 90 that controls each component of the system including the substrate processing apparatus 1.

The processing vessel 10 is cylindrical and is installed with its axis aligned vertically (up and down). The processing vessel 10 has a double-cylinder structure consisting of an inner cylinder 11 and an outer cylinder 12 that houses the inner cylinder 11. The inner cylinder 11 and outer cylinder 12 are made of a heat-resistant material such as quartz and are arranged coaxially. The processing vessel 10 is not limited to a double-cylinder structure; it can also be a single-cylinder structure or a multiple-cylinder structure consisting of three or more cylinders.

The inner cylinder 11 has an open lower end and a ceiling wall at its upper end. The inner cylinder 11 has an inner diameter larger than the diameter of each substrate W. The interior of the inner cylinder 11 forms a processing space S1 where gas is supplied to each accommodated substrate W to form a film. Openings 15 are provided at appropriate circumferential positions on the inner cylinder 11 to allow gas to flow from the processing space S1 into the flow space S2 between the inner cylinder 11 and the outer cylinder 12. The openings 15 may be formed, for example, in the ceiling wall of the inner cylinder 11.

The inner cylinder 11 also has a housing portion 13, located circumferentially opposite the opening 15, that can house the gas supply nozzle 31 of the gas supply unit 30. As an example, the housing portion 13 is provided inside a protrusion 14 that protrudes part of the side wall of the inner cylinder 11 radially outward.

The outer cylinder 12 has a larger inner diameter than the inner cylinder 11 and covers the inner cylinder 11 without contacting it. The flow space S2 formed inside the outer cylinder 12 is continuous with the upper and lateral sides of the inner cylinder 11, allowing gas that has moved through the opening 15 to flow vertically downward.

The lower end of the processing vessel 10 is supported by a cylindrical manifold 17 made of stainless steel. The manifold 17 has a manifold-side flange 17f at its upper end. The manifold-side flange 17f secures and supports the outer cylinder-side flange 12f formed at the lower end of the outer cylinder 12. A seal member 19 is provided between the outer cylinder-side flange 12f and the manifold-side flange 17f to airtightly seal the outer cylinder 12 and manifold 17. The manifold 17 also has an annular support plate 16 on its upper inner wall. The support plate 16 protrudes radially inward from the inner wall to secure and support the lower end of the inner cylinder 11.

A lid 21 is placed on the lower opening of the manifold 17. The lid 21 is configured to be movable vertically by an elevator 25, opening and closing the lower opening of the manifold 17 (see also Figure 1). The lower end of the manifold 17 is equipped with a seal member 18 that airtightly closes the lower opening of the manifold 17 when the lid 21 is closed. After the wafer boat 20 is placed inside, the processing vessel 10 and manifold 17 are sealed internally when the lid 21 is closed.

The wafer boat 20 is a substrate holder that holds multiple substrates W. The longitudinal direction of the wafer boat 20 is aligned vertically, and the outer edges of each substrate W are held by multiple shelf plates (not shown). When held by the wafer boat 20, the substrates W are lined up at regular intervals along the vertical direction and are supported horizontally relative to each other.

The substrate processing apparatus 1 further includes a rotation unit 23 that rotatably supports the wafer boat 20, and an elevation unit 25 that supports the wafer boat 20 via the rotation unit 23 so that it can be raised and lowered.

The rotating unit 23 includes a rotation source (not shown), a rotating shaft 24 that is rotated by the rotation source, and a rotating plate 26 that is connected to the upper end of the rotating shaft 24. The wafer boat 20 is mounted on the upper surface of the rotating plate 26 via a heat insulating structure 27. The rotating unit 23 rotates the rotating shaft 24 and the rotating plate 26, thereby rotating the heat insulating structure 27 and the wafer boat 20 around a vertical axis.

The lifting unit 25 has a vertically extending pillar 25A, an arm 25B that can be raised and lowered relative to the pillar 25A, and an elevation drive unit (not shown) that raises and lowers the arm 25B. The arm 25B extends horizontally, and its extended end supports the components above the rotating unit 23 (wafer boat 20, rotating plate 26, and thermal insulation structure 27). By raising and lowering the arm 25B of the lifting unit 25, the substrate processing apparatus 1 raises and lowers the lid 21, rotating unit 23, and the components above the rotating shaft 24 as a unit, thereby inserting and removing the wafer boat 20 into and from the processing vessel 10.

The gas supply unit 30 has one or more gas supply nozzles 31 for supplying gas to each substrate W placed in the processing space S1. The gases supplied by the gas supply unit 30 include source gases for depositing precursors on the substrates W, reaction gases that react with the precursors, and purge gases for purging the processing space S1.

In this embodiment, the gas supply unit 30 includes two gas supply nozzles 31 (a first gas supply nozzle 31A and a second gas supply nozzle 31B). The first gas supply nozzle 31A supplies a source gas and a purge gas into the processing vessel 10. The second gas supply nozzle 31B supplies a reactive gas into the processing vessel 10. Note that the gas supply unit 30 is not limited to this configuration and may include, for example, a gas supply nozzle 31 for each type of source gas, reactive gas, and purge gas (i.e., three or more). Conversely, the gas supply unit 30 may be configured to supply the source gas, reactive gas, and purge gas from a single gas supply nozzle 31.

Each gas supply nozzle 31 (first gas supply nozzle 31A, second gas supply nozzle 31B) is a quartz injector tube fixed to the manifold 17. Each gas supply nozzle 31 extends vertically within the inner cylinder 11 and bends into an L-shape at its lower end, penetrating the inside and outside of the manifold 17. Each gas supply nozzle 31 has multiple gas holes 31h spaced at regular vertical intervals within the inner cylinder 11, from which gas is discharged horizontally. The spacing between the gas holes 31h is set, for example, to be the same as the spacing between the substrates W supported on the wafer boat 20. The vertical position of each gas hole 31h is set so that it is midway between vertically adjacent substrates W. This allows each gas hole 31h to smoothly supply gas to the gaps between the substrates W.

The gas supply unit 30 has, outside the processing vessel 10, multiple gas supply paths 32 connected to the first gas supply nozzle 31A and the second gas supply nozzle 31B, respectively. The gas supply path 32 connected to the first gas supply nozzle 31A branches off midway and is connected to a source gas source and a purge gas source (not shown). The gas supply path 32 connected to the second gas supply nozzle 31B is connected to a reaction gas source (not shown). Each gas supply path 32 is also equipped with a flow regulator for adjusting the gas flow rate, a valve for opening and closing the flow path within the path, and other devices (both not shown) midway to the gas source.

The gas exhaust unit 40 exhausts gas inside the processing vessel 10 to the outside. Gas supplied by each gas supply nozzle 31 moves from the processing space S1 of the inner cylinder 11 to the flow space S2, and then is exhausted through the gas outlet 41. The gas outlet 41 is formed on the upper sidewall of the manifold 17, above the support plate 16. The gas outlet 41 is connected to the exhaust path 42 of the gas exhaust unit 40.

The gas exhaust unit 40 also includes, in order from upstream to downstream of the exhaust path 42, a valve 70 and a vacuum pump 43. The vacuum pump 43 generates suction pressure by driving a suction drive unit (not shown), and sucks gas from inside the processing vessel 10. The valve 70 is an APC (Automatic Pressure Control) valve that can adjust the pressure inside the processing vessel 10 by opening and closing the exhaust path 42 or changing the opening degree. The configuration of this valve 70 will be described in detail later.

A temperature sensor 80 is provided inside the processing vessel 10 (e.g., the processing space S1 inside the inner cylinder 11) to detect the temperature inside the processing vessel 10. The temperature sensor 80 has multiple (five in this embodiment) temperature sensors 81-85 at different vertical positions. The multiple temperature sensors 81-85 may be thermocouples, resistance thermometers, etc. The temperature sensor 80 transmits the temperatures detected by each of the multiple temperature sensors 81-85 to the control unit 90.

On the other hand, the temperature-controlled furnace 50 covers the entire processing vessel 10 and heats and cools each substrate W contained in the processing vessel 10 from the outside. Specifically, the temperature-controlled furnace 50 has a cylindrical housing 51 with a ceiling and a heater 52 provided inside the housing 51.

The housing 51 is attached to the upper surface of a base plate 54 located at the boundary between the processing vessel 10 and the manifold 17, and heats the processing vessel 10 housed inside. The housing 51 is installed at a distance from the processing vessel 10, forming a temperature-controlled space 53 between the processing vessel 10 and the housing 51.

The housing 51 includes an insulating section 51a that has a ceiling and covers the entire processing vessel 10, and a reinforcing section 51b that reinforces the insulating section 51a on the outer periphery. Furthermore, to suppress thermal effects on the outside of the temperature-controlled furnace 50, the outer periphery of the reinforcing section 51b is covered with a water-cooling jacket (not shown).

The temperature-controlled furnace 50 further includes a cooling section 60 that circulates a cooling gas, such as air, through the temperature-controlled space 53 to cool the processing vessel 10 during or after film formation. The cooling section 60 includes an external supply path 61 and a flow rate regulator 62 provided outside the temperature-controlled furnace 50, a supply flow path 63 provided in the reinforcing section 51b, and multiple supply holes 64 provided in the insulating section 51a.

The cooling unit 60 also has an exhaust hole 65 in the ceiling of the housing 51 that exhausts air supplied into the temperature-controlled space 53. The exhaust hole 65 is connected to an external exhaust path 66 provided outside the housing 51.

In the above example, the substrate processing apparatus 1 was described as an apparatus that supplies raw material gases and reactive gases as processing gases to form a desired film on the surface of each substrate W. However, the substrate processing apparatus 1 is not limited to being a film forming apparatus. For example, the substrate processing apparatus 1 may be applied as a heat treatment apparatus that etches a film on the surface of each substrate W, or that modifies or cleans the surface of each substrate W. The heat treatment apparatus may also be configured to generate plasma within the processing chamber 10.

The control unit 90 of the substrate processing apparatus 1 can be a computer having a processor, memory, input/output interface, communication interface, etc. The processor is one or a combination of a CPU (Central Processing Unit), GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), circuitry consisting of multiple discrete semiconductors, etc. The memory includes a main storage device consisting of semiconductor memory, etc., and an auxiliary storage device consisting of a disk or semiconductor memory (flash memory), etc. The memory can be configured by appropriately combining volatile memory and non-volatile memory (e.g., compact disk, DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), hard disk, flash memory, etc.).

The memory stores programs for operating the substrate processing apparatus 1 and recipes, such as heat treatment process conditions. The processor controls each component of the substrate processing apparatus 1 by reading and executing the memory programs. In other words, the control unit 90 of the present disclosure is an electronic circuit having a CPU, GPU, ASIC, FPGA, etc., and performs the various control operations described in this specification by executing instruction codes stored in the memory or by being a circuit designed for a specific application. The control unit may also be configured as a host computer or multiple client computers that communicate over a network. The substrate processing apparatus 1 is not limited to a configuration in which each device is directly controlled by the control unit 90; it may also be configured such that appropriate devices (e.g., the substrate processing apparatus 1) are equipped with dedicated control devices, and control commands from the control unit 90 are sent to the control devices, which then control each device.

When replacing the gas inside the processing vessel 10, the substrate processing apparatus 1 described above is required to improve processing efficiency by purging the gas inside the processing vessel 10 at low pressure and high flow rate using the gas exhaust unit 40. In particular, the valve 70, which controls the pressure in the gas exhaust unit 40, is the rate-limiting factor for the exhaust speed of the processing gas, and by designing it to be capable of exhausting at a high flow rate, the load on the vacuum pump 43 can be reduced.

Next, the configuration of the valve 70, which achieves a large exhaust flow rate, will be described in detail with reference to Figure 2. For ease of explanation, the positions of each component of the valve 70 will be indicated by arrows in the X-, Y-, and Z-axis directions shown in Figure 2.

The valve 70 extends linearly along the X-axis direction, allowing a fluid such as gas to flow linearly from one end to the other. Both ends of the valve 70 in the X-axis direction are connected to the pipes that make up the exhaust path 42 (see Figure 1). The valve 70 has an internal flow path 70a that communicates with the lines of each pipe and allows a fluid to flow through. The valve 70 also has an inlet 70b at one end of the flow path 70a (the end in the negative X-axis direction) and an outlet 70c at the other end of the flow path 70a (the end in the positive X-axis direction).

Specifically, the valve 70 comprises a housing 71 and a valve element 76 that is provided inside the housing 71 and opens and closes the flow path 70a.

The housing 71 includes a substantially spherical main body 711 located midway along the X-axis, an inlet tube 712 connected to the main body 711 in the negative X-axis direction, and an outlet tube 713 connected to the main body 711 in the positive X-axis direction. The housing 71 also includes a sealing tube 74 fixed to the inlet tube 712.

The main body 711 of the housing 71 rotatably supports the valve element 76 and constitutes the part that switches between open and closed states of the internal flow path 70a as the valve element 76 rotates. When the valve element 76 is in the open state, fluid flows into the main body 711 from the inlet tube 712 (sealing tube 74), and this fluid flows out to the outlet tube 713.

The main body 711 also has flat portions 714 at both ends in the Z-axis direction. A through-hole 71h is formed in the flat portions 714 to rotatably accommodate the rotation shaft 763 of the valve body 76. The flat portions 714 allow the thickness of the valve 70 in the Z-axis direction to be smaller than the width in the Y-axis direction. For example, a drive mechanism (not shown) that rotates the valve body 76 is attached to this flat portion 714. A seal is provided in the through-hole 71h to rotatably close the gap when the rotation shaft 763 is accommodated therein.

Furthermore, the housing 71 has a spherical portion 715 at a position adjacent to the flat portion 714 in the circumferential direction in the Y-axis direction. The spherical portion 715 bulges the internal space of the main body portion 711 radially outward, thereby forming a portion where the valve element 76 that opens the flow path 70a is kept waiting.

The housing 71 according to this embodiment can be separated into two members (first housing 72 and second housing 73) in the X-axis direction to improve the workability of the housing 71 and enable the valve body 76 to be assembled. In FIG. 2, the first housing 72 is located on the negative side of the X-axis, and the second housing 73 is located on the positive side of the X-axis. The boundary between the first housing 72 and the second housing 73 is inclined with respect to the X-axis and Z-axis directions at the main body 711.

The first housing 72 comprises the X-axis negative side of the main body 711 and an inlet tube 712. This first housing 72 has a large portion of the flat portion 714 on the Z-axis positive side, and has a through-hole 71h on the Z-axis positive side. The end face of the first housing 72 on the X-axis positive side, which forms the boundary, is elliptical in shape due to the inclination. Furthermore, the first housing 72 has an arc-shaped flange 72f, which forms the boundary, on the outer peripheral surface of the main body 711 in the Y-axis direction.

The second housing 73 includes the X-axis positive side of the main body 711 and an outlet tube portion 713. This second housing 73 has a large portion of the flat portion 714 on the Z-axis negative side, and has a through-hole 71h on the Z-axis negative side (see also Figure 3(A)). Furthermore, the end face on the X-axis negative side of the second housing 73, which forms the boundary, is formed into an elliptical shape (the same shape as the end face of the first housing 72) due to the inclination. Furthermore, the second housing 73 also has an arc-shaped flange 73f, which forms the boundary, on the outer circumferential surface of the main body 711 in the Y-axis direction.

When assembling the valve 70, the valve body 76 is inserted into each through-hole 71h before the first housing 72 (including the sealing tube 74) and the second housing 73 are secured together. The end face of the boundary of the first housing 72 and the opposing face of the flange 72f are then overlapped with the end face of the boundary of the second housing 73 and the opposing face of the flange 73f, and secured together by welding, fusion, screwing, or other fastening means. This procedure allows the valve 70 to be easily constructed with the valve body 76 housed in the housing 71.

It is preferable that the housing 71 be provided with a sealing member (not shown), such as an O-ring, at the boundary between the first housing 72 and the second housing 73. This allows the housing 71 to improve the airtightness of the main body 711. The division of the housing 71 into the first housing 72 and the second housing 73 is not limited to the above, and the housing 71 may be divided axially, for example, along the X-axis direction.

The sealing tube 74 is fixed to the inlet cylindrical portion 712, and forms a fluid inlet port at one end in the negative X-axis direction, and cooperates with the valve body 76 to form the seal portion S at the other end in the positive X-axis direction. The sealing tube 74 is shaped like a circular tube that extends a short distance in the X-axis direction.

As shown in Figures 3(A) and 3(B), the sealing pipe 74 has a pipe-side flange 74f that protrudes radially outward from its outer circumferential surface and surrounds it in an annular shape. The pipe-side flange 74f is connected to the end face of the inlet tubular portion 712 of the housing 71 by a fixing method such as welding, adhesive bonding, or screwing. It is preferable that the valve 70 include a sealing member (not shown) such as an O-ring at the boundary between the end face of the inlet tubular portion 712 and the pipe-side flange 74f of the sealing pipe 74. This enables the valve 70 to improve the airtightness of the connection between the housing 71 and the sealing pipe 74.

The sealing pipe 74 also includes an inner peripheral wall 741 that protrudes in the positive X-axis direction beyond the pipe-side flange 74f and extends within the inlet tubular portion 712, and an outer peripheral wall 743 that protrudes in the negative X-axis direction beyond the pipe-side flange 74f and forms the inlet 70b. The outer peripheral wall 743 is formed to have approximately the same inner and outer diameters as the outlet tubular portion 713 of the housing 71, and is connected to the piping of the exhaust path 42.

The inner peripheral wall 741 is thicker than the outer peripheral wall 743 to form a seal S between it and the valve disc 76. The end face of the inner peripheral wall 741 in the positive X-axis direction is located on the main body 711 of the housing 71 and serves as a housing seal surface 742 that holds the seal member 75. The housing seal surface 742 is formed in an annular shape that runs around the circumferential direction of the inner peripheral wall 741 and surrounds the flow path 70a. The housing seal surface 742 changes its surface orientation along the circumferential direction to correspond to the valve disc seal surface 765 of the valve disc 76, which will be described later, and is formed in a wavy shape (with projections and depressions) along the X-axis direction. The shape of this housing seal surface 742 will be described in detail later.

The sealing member 75 is an O-ring or the like that runs annularly around the housing sealing surface 742 of the sealing tube 74. The sealing member 75 is housed in and fixed to a groove provided on the housing sealing surface 742 so that it protrudes slightly from the housing sealing surface 742. Examples of materials for this sealing member 75 include well-known resin materials that can ensure airtightness, such as rubber (elastic material).

As described above, the valve element 76 is rotatably housed within the main body 711 of the housing 71. The valve element 76 has a main shutoff section 761, a pair of support walls 762 that support both ends of the main shutoff section 761 in the Z-axis direction, and a pair of rotation shafts 763 that protrude outward from each of the pair of support walls 762.

The main shutoff section 761 is formed in a roughly hemispherical shape (arc-shaped in cross section) with a smaller radius than the main body section 711, and is positioned opposite the center of the flow path 70a when the valve body 76 is in the closed state. When the valve body 76 is in the closed state, the main shutoff section 761 has a convex (bowl-shaped) shape with the center protruding toward the inlet 70b relative to the outer periphery. The shape of the main shutoff section 761 is not particularly limited, and may be formed flat, for example.

The pair of support walls 762 protrude in the opposite direction to the convex shape of the main shutoff section 761 (in the positive X-axis direction when the valve body 76 is in the closed state). The pair of support walls 762 are formed in a flat plate shape and extend parallel to the flat portion 714 of the housing 71 with the rotating shaft 763 journaled to the housing 71. Each support wall 762 narrows in a stepped manner toward the positive X-axis direction in plan view, and each supports the rotating shaft 763 at its end in the positive X-axis direction.

The pair of rotating shafts 763 are cylindrical and protrude outward (in the positive and negative Z directions) from the outer surfaces of the respective support walls 762. One of the rotating shafts 763 is inserted into a through-hole 71h in the positive Z direction of the housing 71. The other of the rotating shafts 763 is inserted into a through-hole 71h in the negative Z direction of the housing 71. This allows the valve body 76 to be rotatable around the Z axis relative to the housing 71. The main shutoff section 761, supported by each rotating shaft 763 via each support wall 762, moves between a fully closed position where it closes the flow path 70a at a position opposite the sealing pipe body 74, and a fully open position (see also Figure 6(A)) where it opens the flow path 70a at a position rotated approximately 90° from the fully closed position. In the fully open position, the main shutoff section 761 is positioned inside the spherical section 715 of the housing 71, leaving the linear flow path 70a of the valve 70 wide open.

One or both of the pair of rotating shafts 763 are connected to a drive mechanism that rotates the valve element 76 outside, protruding from the through-hole 71h of the housing 71. By controlling the rotational position of the valve element 76 based on the operation of this drive mechanism, the valve 70 can adjust the opening and closing of the flow path 70a and the opening degree of the valve element 76 relative to the flow path 70a.

The valve element 76 according to this embodiment has an annular outer periphery 764 that is continuous with the outer edge of the hemispherical main shutoff section 761, and a valve element seal surface 765 that can come into contact with the seal member 75 of the sealing tube 74 is formed on this outer periphery 764. When the valve element 76 is closed, the valve element seal surface 765 comes into contact with the housing seal surface 742 in a manner that crushes the seal member 75, thereby airtightly closing the flow path 70a.

Furthermore, the valve disc 76 according to this embodiment has a shape that minimizes the amount of sliding of the valve disc seal surface 765 against the housing seal surface 742 (in other words, the seal member 75) when the valve disc 76 is opened or closed as the valve disc 76 rotates. Below, the seal portion S formed by the valve disc seal surface 765 of the valve disc 76 and the housing seal surface 742 of the sealing tube 74 will be described with reference to Figures 4 and 5.

The valve element seal surface 765 of the valve element 76 according to this embodiment faces the rotational direction (closing rotation direction) of the valve element 76 that closes the flow path 70a around the entire outer periphery 764. The closing rotation direction of the valve element 76 that closes the flow path 70a is clockwise when viewed from the positive Z-axis direction as shown in Figure 3(B). Therefore, the valve element seal surface 765 faces the clockwise direction at a position a predetermined radius away from the rotation axis 763, which is the center of rotation. The closing rotation direction may be set depending on the installation position of the valve element 76; for example, it may be counterclockwise when the fully open position is on the positive Y-axis side.

To achieve this shape, the valve disc seal surface 765 is gradually twisted 180 degrees around the outer periphery 764, as shown in Figures 5(A) and 5(B). In other words, the valve disc seal surface 765 forms a Möbius strip. This shape will be explained below using the upper part of the valve disc seal surface 765 (upper side in the Z-axis direction) as an example.

On the valve disc seal surface 765, the position of the tip of the valve disc 76 in the closing rotation direction is designated P1, the position 60° circumferentially of the valve disc seal surface 765 from position P1 is designated P2, and the position 30° circumferentially of the valve disc seal surface 765 from position P2 is designated P3. Furthermore, on the valve disc seal surface 765, the position 30° circumferentially of the valve disc seal surface 765 from position P3 is designated P4, and the position 60° circumferentially of the valve disc seal surface 765 from position P4 is designated P5. In this case, position P5 is located at the rear end of the valve disc 76 in the closing rotation direction. Position P3 also overlaps with the rotation axis 763 of the valve disc 76, and is located midway between the tip position P1 and the rear end position P5 circumferentially of the outer periphery 764.

The valve disc seal surface 765 at position P1 is inclined radially outward and toward the rotational axis 763. The valve disc seal surface 765 at position P2 is closer to the rotational axis 763 than position P1, and is inclined radially outward and toward the rotational axis 763 at a gentler angle than position P1. The valve disc seal surface 765 is formed so as to gradually twist relative to position P1 around position P2 (a range of approximately 20° in the circumferential direction). Around position P2, it is twisted by approximately 90°. The valve disc seal surface 765 at position P3 is located farther from the rotational axis 763 than position P2, faces the negative X-axis direction, and is inclined relative to the Y-axis direction.

Furthermore, the valve disc seal surface 765 at position P4 is located further away from the rotational axis 763 than position P3 and is inclined radially outward at a gentle angle away from the rotational axis 763. From position P4 to position P5, the valve disc 76 has a return portion 764a that protrudes the outer peripheral portion 764 in the negative X-axis direction relative to the outer peripheral portion 764 at positions P1, etc. The valve disc seal surface 765 is formed inside this return portion 764a. The valve disc seal surface 765 is formed so as to gradually twist relative to position P3 around position P4 (a range of approximately 20 degrees in the circumferential direction). Around position P4, it is twisted by approximately 90 degrees. The valve disc seal surface 765 at position P5 is located closer to the rotational axis 763 than position P4 and is inclined radially inward at a gentle angle away from the rotational axis 763. In other words, the valve body sealing surface 765 has irregularities in the X-axis direction (the front-to-rear direction perpendicular to the circumferential direction of the outer periphery 764) from positions P1 to P5.

The above-described valve disc seal surface 765 has a twisted portion where the inclination changes gradually around positions P2 and P4, and thus has a shape that is continuous along the circumferential direction of the outer periphery 764 and faces the closing rotation direction of the valve disc 76 at all positions, including positions P1 to P5. The housing seal surface 742 is also formed to have a similar twisted portion corresponding to the valve disc seal surface 765 having the above-described twisted portion (see also Figure 4). As a result, as the valve disc 76 rotates in the closing rotation direction, the housing seal surface 742 and the valve disc seal surface 765 come face to face, allowing the valve disc seal surface 765 to smoothly contact the seal member 75 of the housing seal surface 742.

In particular, the orientation of the valve disc seal surface 765 according to this embodiment is adjusted so that the contact angle between the valve disc seal surface 765 and the housing seal surface 742 of the sealing tube 74 is 30° or greater around the entire outer periphery 764. The contact angle refers to the angle at which the rotating valve disc seal surface 765 contacts the seal member 75, assuming that the tangent in the closing rotation direction is 0° and the normal in the closing rotation direction is 90°. A contact angle of 0° maximizes the amount of sliding (rubbing) of the valve disc seal surface 765 against the seal member 75, so it is preferable to set the contact angle to an angle greater than 0°, for example, 1° or greater. More preferably, a contact angle of 30° or greater can significantly reduce the amount of sliding (rubbing) of the valve disc seal surface 765 against the seal member 75 held by the housing seal surface 742.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5A, the valve disc seal surface 765 has irregularities in the X-axis direction from position P1 to position P5, allowing the contact angle at each position to be 30° or greater. For example, at position P1, the inclined valve disc seal surface 765 contacts the housing seal surface 742 at a contact angle of 30° or greater. At position P2, the valve disc seal surface 765 is recessed toward the rotation axis 763 more than at position P1, and therefore contacts the housing seal surface 742 at a contact angle closer to 90° than at position P1. At position P3, the valve disc seal surface 765 protrudes away from the rotation axis 763 relative to position P2, and therefore contacts the housing seal surface 742 at a contact angle closer to 90° than at position P2. At position P4, the valve disc seal surface 765 protrudes away from the rotation axis 763 relative to position P3, and therefore contacts the housing seal surface 742 at a contact angle similar to that at position P2. Position P5 is recessed from position P4 into the rotation axis 763, but because it is formed in the return portion 764a, the return portion 764a is adjusted to a contact angle (a contact angle close to 90°) that allows it to face the housing seal surface 742.

As a result, the housing seal surface 742 and the valve disc seal surface 765 face each other while reducing the amount of sliding in the circumferential direction during rotation in the closing rotation direction. In other words, the valve 70 eliminates friction on the seal member 75 when the valve disc seal surface 765 is closed, thereby increasing the durability of the seal member 75.

The valve 70 according to this embodiment and the substrate processing apparatus 1 having the valve 70 are basically configured as described above, and their operation will be explained below with reference to Figures 6(A) to 6(C).

When the flow path 70a is fully opened, the valve 70 causes the valve element 76 to wait in the fully open position as shown in Figure 6(A) based on the drive mechanism. The main shutoff section 761 of the valve element 76 is positioned on the spherical section 715 of the housing 71, allowing the flow path 70a to be widely opened. This reduces pressure loss associated with contact with the valve element 76, allowing the fluid flowing through the flow path 70a to flow at a high flow rate within the housing 71.

When adjusting the pressure inside the processing vessel 10 of the substrate processing apparatus 1, the opening of the flow path 70a is reduced by rotating the valve body 76 an appropriate angle from the fully open position, as shown in FIG. 6(B). The valve 70 can appropriately limit the flow rate of the fluid by closing part of the flow path 70a while opening other parts of the flow path 70a.

When the valve 70 fully closes the flow path 70a, the drive mechanism rotates the valve element 76 in the closing direction to move it to the fully closed position, as shown in FIG. 6(C). Note that FIG. 6(C) is a cross-sectional plan view showing the state of the valve element 76 before it is fully closed, and the state in which it is fully closed by the valve element 76 is shown in FIG. 3(B). As described above, as the valve element 76 rotates in the closing direction, the valve element seal surface 765 approaches the housing seal surface 742. At a position close to the housing seal surface 742, the valve element seal surface 765 has a contact angle of 30° or more, which significantly reduces the amount of sliding of the valve element seal surface 765 against the housing seal surface 742.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 7(A), when the valve disc 76 has moved to the fully closed position, position P5 of the valve disc seal surface 765 formed on the return portion 764a faces the inclined housing seal surface 742 on the outside of the sealing tube 74. In detail, as the valve disc 76 rotates in the closing rotation direction CR, the valve disc seal surface 765 moves so that the contact angle with the valve disc seal surface 765 is close to 90°, thereby contacting the housing seal surface 742 while minimizing sliding against the seal member 75. This allows the valve disc seal surface 765 to press the seal member 75 with an appropriate force.

Furthermore, as shown in Figure 7 (B), position P1 of the valve disc seal surface 765 faces the inclined housing seal surface 742 inside the sealing tube 74. In detail, as the valve disc 76 rotates in the closing rotation direction CR, the valve disc seal surface 765 moves so that the contact angle with the valve disc seal surface 765 is 30° or greater. As a result, even at position P1, the valve disc seal surface 765 comes into contact with the housing seal surface 742 with minimal sliding, allowing the seal member 75 to be pressed with an appropriate force.

Alternatively, as in another embodiment shown in FIG. 7(C), the orientation (contact angle) of the valve disc seal surface 765 and the housing seal surface 742 may be adjusted so that they extend along a direction substantially perpendicular to the closing rotation direction CR at position P1. For example, the valve disc seal surface 765 is formed as an inclined surface that substantially coincides with the normal direction of the closing rotation direction CR. The housing seal surface 742 is formed on the inner circumferential surface of the inner peripheral wall 741 of the sealing tube 74 so as to be parallel to the valve disc seal surface 765, and holds the seal member 75. In this way, by having the valve disc seal surface 765 and the housing seal surface 742 extending in a direction substantially perpendicular to the closing rotation direction CR, the amount of sliding of the valve disc seal surface 765 can be further reduced.

Note that the valve 70 and substrate processing apparatus 1 according to the present disclosure are not limited to the above embodiment and may take various forms. For example, the fluid flowing through the valve 70 is not limited to gas, and may be liquid, etc.

For example, while the valve 70 according to the embodiment is configured to hold the sealing member 75 at the housing sealing surface 742, the sealing member 75 may also be held at the valve body sealing surface 765. Furthermore, the housing 71 may not include the sealing tube 74, and the housing sealing surface 742, which is sealed to the valve body sealing surface 765 of the valve body 76, may be formed directly on the inner surface of the main body 711, etc.

The valve 70A according to the first modified example shown in Figure 8 (A) differs from the valve 70 according to the embodiment in that the inlet 70b and outlet 70c are positioned perpendicular to each other. That is, the flow path 70a of the valve 70A is bent perpendicularly from the main body 711 as a base point. Even in this case, the valve body 76 can provide a seal with reduced sliding between the housing seal surface 742 and the seal member 75 and the valve body seal surface 765, thereby reliably blocking the flow of fluid. Furthermore, by moving the valve body 76 to the fully open position in the direction where the outlet 70c is not located, the valve 70A can allow the fluid to flow as if it were bent perpendicularly.

The valve 70B according to the second modified example shown in Figure 8 (B) differs from the valves 70 and 70A described above in that the outlet 70c is positioned at an angle relative to the inlet 70b. In other words, the valves 70, 70A, and 70B are not particularly limited in terms of the fluid flow direction, and can smoothly flow fluid in the direction determined by their shape.

Furthermore, the sealing pipe 74A according to a third modified example shown in FIG. 9 differs from the above-described valves 70, 70A, and 70B in that it is configured to discharge purge gas through an inner peripheral wall 741 onto the housing sealing surface 742. Specifically, the inner peripheral wall 741 includes a purge gas discharge flow path 744 therein, which bypasses the periphery of the sealing member 75 and communicates with an opening in the housing sealing surface 742. The base end of the discharge flow path 744 is connected to a purge gas supply unit (not shown). The discharge flow path 744 discharges purge gas from the opening in the housing sealing surface 742 onto the periphery of the sealing member 75. As a result, the sealing pipe 74 can suppress deterioration of the sealing member 75 due to exposure of the sealing member 75 to gas within the processing vessel 10.

The technical concepts and effects of the present disclosure described in the above embodiments are described below.

A first aspect of the present disclosure relates to valves 70, 70A, and 70B that include a housing 71 having a fluid flow path 70a therein, and a valve element 76 that is rotatably mounted relative to the housing 71 and can open and close the flow path 70a. The housing 71 has a housing seal surface 742 that surrounds the flow path 70a, and the valve element 76 has a valve element seal surface 765 on its outer periphery 764 that faces the housing seal surface 742 when in a closed position that closes the flow path 70a. The valve element seal surface 765 faces the closing rotation direction of the valve element 76 that closes the flow path 70a, around the entire circumference of the outer periphery 764.

As described above, the valves 70, 70A, and 70B can widen the flow path 70a by keeping the valve element 76, which is rotatably mounted within the housing 71, in the fully open position. This allows the valves 70, 70A, and 70B to pass a large amount of fluid. Furthermore, by having the valve element seal surface 765 facing the closing rotation direction, the valves 70, 70A, and 70B can increase the contact angle of the valve element seal surface 765 with respect to the housing seal surface 742 during rotation in the closing rotation direction, thereby reducing the amount of sliding of the seal portion S. This allows the valves 70, 70A, and 70B to reduce damage to the seal portion S and increase durability.

Furthermore, the valve disc seal surface 765 is twisted circumferentially around the outer periphery 764, resulting in a continuous, continuous surface. This allows the valves 70, 70A, and 70B to more reliably seal using the continuous valve disc seal surface 765.

The valve disc seal surface 765 also includes a leading edge position P1 in the closing rotation direction, a trailing edge position P5 in the closing rotation direction, and a position P3 that overlaps with the rotation axis 763 of the valve disc 76 and is intermediate between the leading edge position P1 and the trailing edge position P2. The valves 70, 70A, and 70B have twisted portions between the leading edge position P1 and the intermediate position P3, and between the intermediate position P3 and the trailing edge position P5. This allows the valve disc seal surface 765 and the housing seal surface 742 to face each other well even at the twisted portions. Furthermore, the valve disc seal surface 765 can be well-facing in the closing rotation direction at positions P1, P3, and P5.

In addition, the valve body seal surface 765 has irregularities in the front-to-rear direction, which is perpendicular to the circumferential direction of the outer periphery 764. This allows the valve body seal surface 765 to be favorably formed into a shape that results in a contact angle of 30° or more between the valve body seal surface 765 and the housing seal surface 742.

Furthermore, the outer peripheral portion 764 has a return portion 764a at position P5, the rear end of the valve disc seal surface 765 in the closing rotation direction, that directs the valve disc seal surface 765 in the closing rotation direction. By having this return portion 764a, the valves 70, 70A, and 70B can easily be formed into a shape that directs the valve disc seal surface 765 in the closing rotation direction.

In addition, the housing seal surface 742 holds the seal member 75, which rotates in the circumferential direction. As a result, by having the seal member 75 on the non-rotating side of the housing seal surface 742, the valves 70, 70A, and 70B can avoid any adverse effects on the seal member 75 when the valve body 76 rotates.

The housing 71 also includes a sealing tube 74 with a flow path 70a inside, and the end surface of the sealing tube 74 has a housing seal surface 742. As a result, even when a complex housing seal surface 742 needs to be machined to match the valve disc seal surface 765, the housing seal surface 742 can be easily formed by machining the sealing tube 74.

In addition, the housing 71 has a flat portion 714 around the area where the valve body 76 is supported. This allows the housing 71 for the valves 70, 70A, and 70B to be made smaller, making it easier to install in the substrate processing apparatus 1.

The valve element 76 also has a hemispherical main shutoff portion 761 inside the outer periphery 764, and the housing 71 has a spherical portion 715, located circumferentially adjacent to the flat portion 714, where the main shutoff portion 761 of the valve element 76 that opens the flow path 70a is kept waiting. This allows the valves 70, 70A, and 70B to further increase the flow path cross-sectional area of the flow path 70a when the valve element 76 is open.

A second aspect of the present disclosure is a substrate processing apparatus 1 including a processing vessel 10 that accommodates and processes a substrate W, an exhaust path 42 connected to the processing vessel 10 and that exhausts gas from the processing vessel 10, and a valve 70 disposed in the exhaust path 42 and that controls the flow of gas through the exhaust path 42. The valve 70 includes a housing 71 having a fluid flow path 70a therein, and a valve element 76 that is rotatable relative to the housing 71 and can open and close the flow path 70a. The housing 71 has a housing seal surface 742 that surrounds the flow path 70a. The valve element 76 has a valve element seal surface 765 on its outer periphery 764 that faces the housing seal surface 742 in a closed position that closes the flow path 70a. The valve element seal surface 765 faces the closing rotation direction of the valve element 76 that closes the flow path 70a around the entire circumference of the outer periphery 764. Even in this case, the substrate processing apparatus 1 can reduce the amount of sliding of the seal portion S while allowing a large flow rate of fluid to flow.

The valves 70, 70A, 70B, and substrate processing apparatus 1 according to the embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative in all respects and are not limiting. The embodiments may be modified and improved in various ways without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims. The features described in the above embodiments may be configured differently and may be combined within the scope of the appended claims.

The substrate processing apparatus 1 to which the valve 70 of the present disclosure is applicable is not limited to vertical heat treatment apparatuses, but may be other batch-type apparatuses that perform substrate processing on multiple substrates W, or single-wafer apparatuses that perform substrate processing on a single substrate W. Furthermore, the substrate processing apparatus 1 can be applied to any type of apparatus, including atomic layer deposition (ALD) apparatus, capacitively coupled plasma (CCP), inductively coupled plasma (ICP), radial line slot antenna (RLSA), electron cyclotron resonance plasma (ECR), and helicon wave plasma (HWP).

1 Substrate processing apparatus 70, 70A, 70B Valve 70a Flow path 71 Housing 742 Housing sealing surface 76 Valve body 764 Outer periphery 765 Valve body sealing surface

Claims (10)

a housing having a fluid flow path therein;
a valve body rotatably provided with respect to the housing and capable of opening and closing the flow path,
the housing has a housing sealing surface surrounding the flow path;
the valve body has a valve body seal surface on an outer periphery thereof that faces the housing seal surface when the valve body is in a closed position at which the flow path is closed;
the valve body sealing surface faces the closing rotation direction of the valve body that closes the flow path over the entire circumference of the outer periphery;
valve. The valve body seal surface is twisted in the circumferential direction of the outer circumferential portion to form a continuous surface.
The valve of claim 1. the valve body seal surface includes a leading end position in the closing rotation direction, a trailing end position in the closing rotation direction, and a position that overlaps with the rotation axis of the valve body and is intermediate between the leading end position and the trailing end position,
a twisted portion between the tip position and the intermediate position, and between the intermediate position and the rear position;
3. The valve of claim 2. The valve body sealing surface has irregularities in a front-rear direction perpendicular to the circumferential direction of the outer circumferential portion.
A valve according to any one of claims 1 to 3. the outer circumferential portion has a return portion at a rear end position of the valve body seal surface in the closing rotation direction, the return portion directing the valve body seal surface in the closing rotation direction.
A valve according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The housing seal surface holds a seal member that rotates around the housing in a circumferential direction.
A valve according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The housing includes a sealing pipe having the flow path therein, and the housing seal surface is provided on an end surface of the sealing pipe.
A valve according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The housing has a flat portion around a portion that pivotally supports the valve body.
A valve according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The valve body includes a hemispherical main shutoff portion inside the outer periphery,
the housing has a spherical portion, at a position adjacent to the flat portion in a circumferential direction, where the main shutoff portion of the valve body that opens the flow path is kept waiting.
9. The valve of claim 8. a processing vessel for accommodating and processing a substrate;
an exhaust path connected to the processing vessel and configured to exhaust gas from the processing vessel;
a valve provided in the exhaust path to control gas flow through the exhaust path,
The valve is
a housing having a fluid flow path therein;
a valve body rotatably provided with respect to the housing and capable of opening and closing the flow path,
the housing has a housing sealing surface surrounding the flow path;
the valve body has a valve body seal surface on an outer periphery thereof that faces the housing seal surface when the valve body is in a closed position at which the flow path is closed;
the valve body sealing surface faces the closing rotation direction of the valve body that closes the flow path over the entire circumference of the outer periphery;
Substrate processing equipment.